Opinion: White Kids at Glasto don’t want Kanye

Music snobbery seems to have gotten a hold of the Glastonbury music festival. After Kanye West was announced to be the headliner at the Glastonbury festival this June, a petition started on Change.org under the title, “Cancel Kanye West’s headline slot and get a rock band.”Neil Lonsdale, who started the petition, wrote in the description, “Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world. We spend hundreds of pounds to attend Glasto, and by doing so, expect a certain level of entertainment. Kanye has been very outspoken on his views on music....he should listen to his own advice and pass his headline slot on to someone deserving! Let's prevent this musical injustice now!”Injustice is a very strong term to use, I don’t know if I would consider a rapper playing at a “rock” festival an injustice but I do know what is an injustice: the silencing of artistic expressions that you don’t necessarily like or agree with. Lonsdale, besides not actually ever attending a Glastonbury festival, not only doesn’t like West but also doesn’t want a hip hop artist headlining. If you signed this petition, y’all musical snobs. It’s okay, most people are -- the problem is when you get on your computers and start screaming at the world when all we want to do is get online and look at Buzzfeed and porn.If Kanye’s performance at Glastonbury is anything like the 2015 BRIT Awards, then maybe Kanye can add some color to an audience that ***Kabir Chibber of Quartz described as one that, “Tends to be young and white, the kind people[sic] who like to roll around in mud for three days.”Joseph Roberts, from Las Vegas, also chimed in, “I’m taking a stand for ‘real’ musicians. Please don’t let this animal ruin music.” Animal is really not the right word for a bunch of white people complaining about a  person of color headlining “their” festival. These comments were similar to when Jay-Z was the first hip hop artist to headline at the concert in 2008, so when he took the stage, he threw that subtle racism back in their face and performed like the rap genius he is.But if Joe wishes to talk about “real” musicians, would he lend his ear to the late Lou Reed? Lou Reed, a founding member of the prophetic rock group The Velvet Underground, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just general badass all around, had this to say about West’s album Yeezus before he passed: “No one’s near doing what he’s doing, it’s not even on the same planet.” In terms of West’s lyrical content, Lou had this to say: “C’mon, he’s just having fun. That’s no more serious than if he said he’s going to drop a bomb on the Vatican. How can you take that seriously?”In conclusion, regardless of whether or not you happen to like or dislike a particular music or musician it really doesn’t matter what you think. Artist don’t give the time of day to care what you think about them. Their art is their own, not yours; it wasn’t made for you. They make art because they have to -- it’s their passion in this life. Not to say you can’t have conversations about the quality of certain music or songs, or all the evils that infest the contemporary music industry, but rather when you attempt to silence an art solely because you don’t happen to like it or agree with it, then you have become the real threat to artistic expression everywhere.But I digress, for the real question at the end of the day is why would anyone waste a penny on a pseudo-hippie corporate pop music festival like Glastonbury in the first place? As for me, I’ll be basking in the yellow sunshine, listening to Yeezus, headed to All Tomorrow’s Parties.